Conveyor slat securement



Ap 6, 1948. H. L. COHEN CONVEYOR 'USLAT, SECUREMENT Filed April 2, 19462 Sheets-Sheet 1 I a v u a v v u INVENTOR HARRY L COHEN BY .2% m/ mATTORNEYS Al E E% April 6, 1948. H. L. COHEN 2,439,040

' CONVEYOR SLAT SECUREMENT Filed April 2, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORHARRY L.. COHEN ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 6, 1948 @Harry -LnChe l1, .-NewYork, 2N. X, ":assi nqr to .S ;'&-S iGorrugated Paper .MachineryCor-JncBrooklyn, N. ..Y., aocorporation of N cw" Yoi-k --Application Api'il 2,1346, Serial*N0.= 659,117

3 .Glaims. (Cl. 198-175) ;1 V Mypresentinvention relates to sheetfeeding mechanism and more specifically to 2, type of sheet feedingmechanism wherein:aislata'or plu- -rality of slats are mounted acrossdrive members such as chains moving along the planeziofa table on-whichsuccessive blanks are to be ffedi through specific apparatus whichperforms various operations onthe blank.

Thus, by way .of example, 1 in taping machines for taping the seams offolded cartons, itis necessary to "feed the folded vcartons successivelythrough the taping machine in order that the tape may be applied.

Specifl'c feeding mechanism :may be used to eject the cartonssuccessively from the bottom of g a stackand' thereafter the cartons maybe moved along with respect to the taping mechanism by slats oftheabove'mentioned type; or slatsof-th'e' above mentioned type may beused firstto eject blanks successively from the bottom-o f the'stack andsecondly to feed the blanks successively. past "the tape applyingapparatus whereby they maybe controlled in their movement during the Itaping operation. v

' In the construction of such slats' it frequently becomes necessary toreplace theslats on the drive chain indifferent spaced relations.Th'us,-where very shortblanks are being fed through a specificmachine'su'ch as a taping machine and itbecomes necessary to setup thetaping machine once more to take extra, long blanks the slats must beremoved and replaced. for cooperation withtheex- 'tra long blanks.Thus'it-becomes necessaryto arrange a simpli'fied means for securingand-Jdisconnecting the-slats on the drive chains in:a simple andeasilyoperable manner.

Accordingly, a primary object of my: invention is the'provision ofnovelfeed means for "feedin .rblanks with respect tovamachine onwhichoperations 1 are to be :performed vrespect to I. the blanks.

Another object of myinvention istheprovision of simplifiedfeed slatsecuring means'fonsecuring theslats tosa drive chain :an'diforreadilylremovinglthe' slats from thetdrivel ch'ain.

Specifically, my invention contemplates mounting a :pairaof: pinsadjacent :eith'er endaof sthez'sl'at, or rather .on xthat ,specificportion .0f the aslat which: cooperates with the .rdrive chain'uor;chains, and providing simplified locking -means .onzthe chain or chains:for integratin the elements of l the .slatwithithe: chains.

The foregoing and .many otherrobiects of :my invention .will-becomeapparent in zthe; following description and drawings in which belt litto fpulleys 1'1 of swans-sprockets I 8; :the

Figure": 1- islas general view' of a type of machine known as a tapingmachine embodying the slat securingrmembersmf my.:invention.

FEigureQiiS-an enlarged view: in schematic. per-.spectiveaashowingthermanner in which the novel sslats of:my;invention1may readily: be. secured to andsremoved:from-\thedrivemhains therefor.

Figure-Brie; a viewpartly: in cross-section. taken :on 2. line :3-3 1 ofs-Figurez 2 :iookin'g int the 1 direction :Figuredzisvazviewrpartly incross-section taken :on iineEiA-il -;of l 'igure1 3. looking in :thedirection :ofithe'arrows.

Figure r5 :is asfragmentary view in "perspective showing :thelatchingspin .on T0116. of :the slats,

Referring now to Figure 1, I :have heresh own xmyln'oveldevice embodied.inta taping machine mounted on ta frame and having adrive motor11:2aconnected ibylaniappropriate pulley l3 and belt lr lrtozpulleyc I15:lwhich in turn is connected by ach-ainssprockets T8:beingpmounted onopposite sides of the machine on shaft [9 driven by pulley I11. .1Pulley ti ralso has 5 auxiliary=zpulley i keyed""ther.etorwhlchathroughabelt T2! drives pulley :22 "which :invturn:drives itherfeed :out belt 23. The

taping machine is provided with otherfeed rollers 3:5 andffeed'toutbelts :2-6, the rollers' and belts Ibe-1ingidrivembyappropriateconnections to the .prin-:cipal-tpuiley-"l5ior'toithe motor lt2. .Thesprockets l8 drive thechain'siftfl in'the direction indicated -by-=.the:.arrow 3 l,fthe chainbeing' kept taut by the idling rsprocketsefl. Chains 30, as shown iniEigures rlsand 2, areiiprovidedatsspaced intervals with; latchsmenibers 35, ':said latch members being :in registry with Leach otherat opposite "chains and-trcarryingea slat ieibetween 1 them.

"Theablanks or cartons lfl whi'chare to be taped :a're zplaced in :astack Ml :between the vertical slats "'42 :and again'st the front guideslats 43. Front guide slats: 43 are spaced-above the bed of the machineat l 4-sof th-at'one' blank ate, time, the

"bottom blank in the stack, may befed out -from the? stack.

TSlats 36, a'sthey come "around toward the left with respect to FigureLeach engagela. bottom blank or "folded jcartonofthestack 4| andfeed.theblanks .out,; with. respect to thetaping machine. The taping machinemayfbeof the type (generally described .in-rapplication of Albert .1-Sl1ields,-. Seria1 #39 1,701,.issued November '7, .1944,aszBatentNo.23623413; and t'he-l apparatus for applying; the-taperisqindieatedggenerally in l the? box .45..Anyrsuitable-rtaping;apparatusmaybe used 3 for this purpose, the essenceof the invention being in the slat securement and operation,

The slats may be so arranged that they actually engage the blank onlyafter the blank has been ejected from stack 4| and separate kick feedermeans may be used to eject successive blanks from the stack 4|, or theslats 35 may, as shown, be used to feed out the blanks from the stack aswell as to feed the blanks along through the machine.

As previously pointed out, the slats must be so arranged that they mayreadily be mounted on and removed from the chain so that appropriatespacing of the slats may be obtained for variations in the length ofsheets which are tobe oper-' ated on by the machine.

Thus, for a run of relatively short blanks or sheets the slats should bespaced very close together; whereas for a run of very long blanks orsheets alternate slats or pairs of alternate slats may be removed toprovide for appropriate spac- Accordingly, it becomes necessary toarrange the slats insuch' a manner that they may readily be attached toand removed from the chains. For this reason eachof the slats as isshown in Figure 5 is provided adjacent each end thereof, at the portionsof the slat registering with each of the chains, with a downwardlydepending latching pin 59. The latching pin 59 has the chamfered surface5| to enable it to move readily past the latching device hereinafterdescribed and has the snap-lock slot '52 to cooperate with the latchmember 35 (shown more specifically in Figures 3 and 4) which is locatedat spaced intervals along the chain.

Each of the latch members 35 consists of a plate 69 attached by pins Eland 32 to the chain 39. Pins BI and 52 replace the regular pins of thelinks of chain 39 at that point and the pins 5| and 52 are threaded asshown at 53, 53 to enter into appropriate tapped openings in the plateThe pins may be secured in appropriate relation to the chain in anysuitable manner as for instance by cotter pins passing through openings55, 65 thereof.

The latching plate '60 extends outwardly from the side of chain 39 andthus does not interfere in any way with the operation of the chain 39with respect to sprockets l8 and 32.

Each of the latching plates 60 is provided with a vertical hole 10 toreceive the pin 50 of the slat 36. Each of the plates 69 is alsoprovided with a horizontal slot or recess 12 in which is pivotallymounted the latch member 13. The said latch member 13 being rotatablycarried on the the pin M which passes through the recess i2. The recess12 is suihciently deep so that the latch 13 may enter and cover part ofthe hole I9 as shown particularly in Figure 4; thus the latch T3'mayreadily enter into the milled slot 52 of the pin 59 of slat 36 in orderto retain the pin 59 and hence slat 35 in tight engagement with thelatch plate 69 as shown particularly in Fi ure 3.

The latching plate 69 is also provided with a recess 16 in which tensionsprin '11 is mounted, one end of tension spring 11 being connected at 18to the outer end of latch 13 and the opposite clockwise direction withrespect to Figure 4 so 4 that it enters into the mill slot 52 of pin 59in order to retain the slat position.

As above pointed out latch members 35 are mounted parallel to each otheron opposite chains so that the slats 36 are carried between them. Thebed 9|! of the machine is provided with recesses 9| and 92 as shown inFigure 2 through which the chains 30 travel. The recesses 9| and 92 areeach provided with upper extension plates 93 and 94 extending partlyover the recesses. The slats 36 are each provided re-entrant channellikelugs 95, 95 engaging the upper plates 93, 94.

This holds the slats down tightly against the bed 99 of the machine andprevents them from moving up over the blanks or cartons which are being7 fed through the machine so that they are always in engagement with theblanks or cartons on the machine. The plates 93, 94 and the bed of themachine 99 terminate just before sprocket l8 of Figure 1, so that theslat lugs 95, 95 may slide ofi the plate 93, 94 to permit the slats tomove with the chain around the sprocket l8.

Thus, when it is desired to place the slats on the chain 39, theoperator places the slats on the chain as the latches move opposite thesprockets l8 and the lugs 95 can clear the plates 93, 34. The operatorthen moves the chains around until the next set of lugs to which hedesires to attach a slat appear opposite the sprockets l8 and then hesnaps the slats in. These operations are pursued successively until allthe slats are mounted.

When it is now desired to change to a size which is greater than thesize previously operated on, the operator pulls out the opposite latchmembers 13 for the slat which is opposite the sprocket 8 and removes theslat. He then moves the machine until the next slat which he desires toremove is opposite the sprocket I8 and removes that slat also.

By this means therefore, the operator may readily place and remove slatsfrom the apparatus. Placing the slats in the apparatus only requirespushing pins 59 into the opening 19. The

- chamfered portion 5| of the pin 59 moves past the latch I3 and pushesit out or clockwise with respect to Figure 4. When the milled slot 52appears opposite the latch 13 then the spring 11 snaps the latch 13 backinto latching positon. Similarly to remove the slat it is only necessaryto pull the latch 13 clockwise and thus disengage the latch from themilled slot 52, so that the slat may be removed. Even an unskilled oruntrained operator may thus readily place and remove slats on a machinein appropriate spaced relation for the particular size blanks or cartonswhich are to be operated on in the particular run. The slats are simplestraight bars which are held down in order to feed the blanks forwardand the latch members are simple locking members which cooperate withthe milled pins of the slat. Accordingly complex securing and removaloperations are avoided and a structure which is easy to manufacture,fool-proof in use and which is sturdy and not easily bent or damaged, isprovided so that the means for feeding the blanks or cartons throughthe'machine may readily be adjusted'for runs of diiferent size cartons.

In the foregoing I have described my invention solely in connection witha preferred illustrative embodiment thereof. Since many variations andmodifications of my invention should now be obvious to those skilled inthe art, Iprefer to' be bound not by the specific disclosure hereincontained, but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Blank moving means comprising a moving chain and a slat removablysecured thereto; said slat having an extension depending therefrom; saidchain carrying a latch member; said latch member comprising a plate; anopening in said plate to receive said extension; a lock member movableinto said opening; and a recess in said extension to receive said lo'ckmember; means biasing said lock member into said opening; said lockmember being manually removable from said opening; said lock membercomprising a lever; a recess in said plate; said lever being pivotallymounted in said recess for movement in a plane normal to the axis ofsaid opening.

2. Blank moving means comprising a moving chain and a slat removablysecured thereto; said slat having an extension depending therefrom; saidchain carrying a, latch member; said latch member comprising a plate; anopening in said plate to receive said extension; a lock member movableinto said opening; and a recess in said extension to receive said lockmember; means biasing said lock member into said opening; said :lockmember being manually removable from said opening; said lock membercom-prising a lever; a recess in said plate; said lever being pivotallymounted in said recess for movement in a plane normal to the axis ofsaid opening, an additional 6 recess in said plate; said biasing meansbeing mounted in said recess.

3. Blank moving means comprising a moving chain and slat removablysecured thereto; said slat having an extension depending therefrom; saidchain carrying a latch member; said latch member comprising a plate; anopening in said plate to receive said extension; a lock member movableinto said opening; and a, recess in said extension to receive said lockmember; means biasing said lock member into said opening; said lockmember being manually removable from said opening, the fre end of saidextension being shaped to move said lock member out of said opening asit enters the opening; said biasing means snapping said lock member intosaid recess of said extension as said recess moves opposite the lockmember.

HARRY L. COHEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 404,460 Akerson June 4, 18892,397,698 Sigler et al. Apr. 2, 1946

